SparkyLinux 2025.12
SparkyLinux 2025.12, also known as "Tiamat," has been released in the semi-rolling line with new ISO images available for download
This new Tiamat release pulls in updates from both Debian testing ("Forky") and the standard Sparky testing repositories as of December 14th, 2025. The big Linux kernel now tops out at version 6.17.11, though they also include other variants like 6.18.1, 6.12.62-LTS, and 6.6.119-LTS.
Besides the kernel change, users should notice Firefox has been updated to its Extended Support Release version 140.5.0esr; version 146.0 is also available in the Sparky repos if they're looking for a beta or dev experience. Thunderbird gets the ESR update too (140.5.0). And Grub's been upgraded to a new build, roughly dated to July of this year.
For folks installing on UEFI systems, it's recommended you have an internet connection handy because Calamares, their installer, has been improved for that scenario. But if your machine is older with a BIOS and 64-bit support, the CLI option is still there: sudo sparky-installer.
Also online are two new package mirror servers: one in the UK ("UK1") and another across central USA ("US1").
New users should be aware that the default password for the live session is now "live," and root access is still disabled by default. For installing Tiamat, you've got six different ways depending on your needs: You can choose from LXQt, KDE Plasma, MATE, Xfce, MinimalGUI (which utilizes Openbox), or simply use the plain text mode with MinimalCLI.
If you're already rocking a Sparky rolling setup, the good news is simpler: keeping things updated should suffice without needing to reinstall everything. To download the new SparkyLinux 2025.12 rolling ISO images, visit the download page for the rolling edition.
